The highest praise a reviewer can give a novel is that it is “cinematic.” A great story unfolds like a movie in the reader’s mind. That’s what every film script must do as well. Someone reading your screenplay must be able to “see” your movie. Whether you are writing a novel or a screenplay you will find the tools here to make your story flow like a film in someone else’s imagination! I can help you “Get to the Heart of the Story®.”

Visit the One Hour Screenwriter website.

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But don’t take my word for it. Read…

What Others Have to Say:

“Laurie Hutzler has a method of exploring and developing characters that I personally found very useful. Her gentle process of posing insightful questions should help any writer create deeper, richer and more vivid characters.”

Paul Haggis, Oscar® Winning Writer/Director of Crash, Writer of Oscar® Winning Million Dollar Baby, Writer/Director of In the Valley of Elah, Writer of Quantum of Solace, Writer of Flags of Our Fathers, Creator of EZ Streets (CBS) and Co-Creator of The Black Donnellys (NBC)

“Laurie Hutzler has a terrific sense of story. She has a gift for inspiring and motivating writers to do their best work. Laurie’s approach will help any writer dig deeper and find the heart of their story. Heart is what great storytelling is all about.”

Bobby Moresco, Oscar® Winning Co-writer of Crash, Writer/Director of 10th and Wolf, Writer of EZ Streets (CBS) and Co-creator of The Black Donnellys (NBC)

“Laurie has taught me more than anyone about the central importance of character in any screenplay. Her method of character analysis provides an invaluable tool for the writer who needs a non-destructive way to self-critique his or her screenplay. At the heart of every Oscar® Winning Best Film, is a screenplay that is the Best. Laurie’s methods help writers create their Best.”

Peter Fudakowski, Producer of Tsosti, Oscar® Winning Best Foreign Language Film

“Laurie Hutzler knows all the right questions to ask that get you to know your characters inside and out. Her material works, period.”

Mick Betancourt, NBC Staff Writer, The Black Donnellys and NBC Staff Writer, Law and Order: SVU and Comedy Central Comedian

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“Laurie’s keen grasp of storytelling and her focus on emotional truth have inspired our teams of writers, producers and directors around the world. Whether in Germany, Britain, Hungary, Australia – the list goes on – Laurie’s practical, entertaining methods work in harmony with local cultural specifics. The result has been better stories, more truthful characters and creative teams with a better understanding not only of drama, but of themselves”

Nick Malmholt, Head of Creative Development, Worldwide Drama, FremantleMedia

What Is Holding You Back?

1. Lack of Talent? The less you worry about talent the easier screenwriting will be for you. Children don’t worry about talent. They approach creativity with a sense of discovery, wonder and play. If you’re a beginner, dump your anxiety about talent right now! If you’re already a professional writer, it’s an impossible to perfect what’s already perfect. Your voice is perfectly suited to you! These techniques will free you and you’ll discover in minutes a day how to write with truth, authenticity and heart. You just need to release the amazing gift inside of you. This eBook will unlock the creative voice you already possess.

2. Lack of Time? You’re a busy person with an already demanding schedule. You’ve probably worried that it takes full-time effort to do your script justice. This simply isn’t true. Research shows that the most productive writers experience intense creativity in short bursts. You can write your script in one-hour blocks of sustained effort. These short creative sessions add up over time. This eBook shows you exactly how to make the best use of every minute you have. You will finish your project even if you’ve got a full-time business or career, have demanding family obligations, have civic or social duties or have other pressing personal demands on your time, If you value your time and have very little to spare, this eBook gets you writing quickly and effectively in the time you do have.

Just Unlucky? Luck has nothing to do with executing a simple, practical and effective writing plan. Luck has nothing to do with finding your unique voice. Luck has nothing to do with accomplishing your goal of finishing your script. Follow the step-by-step guidelines the eBook sets out and you’ll learn how to connect personally with your character and story in a way that is authentic and real. You’ll learn how to stick with your project and overcome the creative blocks stopping you. Unlock the powerful voice you already posses and discover a nonstop route to completing your screenplay successfully. This eBook will unlock the wonderful stories already inside of you.

4. Fear of Failure? Don’t back away from, deny or hide from your fear. Don’t try to cover it up or push it away. Instead, learn how to make fear your strongest ally. Learn how to use your fears and anxiety to create powerful and compelling movie moments. These screenwriting techniques will teach you how to harness your fear and make it work for you rather than against you. Use your fear to make your script unfold successfully! This eBook will show you how to put ALL your emotions to work in a clear a step-by-step plan and using real-life specific examples. This eBook will show you exactly how to make fear your best friend!

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“By clearly demonstrating how to write a screenplay in a single hour a day, Laurie Hutzler has demolished the last great excuse not to write…Keep her materials within easy reach and refer to them often, because it is an instruction manual for screenwriting success. I loved it. Great stuff.”

Michael Colleary, Co-Producer and Co-Writer of Box-Office Hit Face/Off, Co-Writer of Laura Croft Tomb Raider, and Producer and Co-Writer of Firehouse Dog

What You Need To Accomplish Your Dream

You already have an idea of what you want to write. You already have the seeds of a story ready to germinate and grow. So all you REALLY need is:

1. A Workable Plan: You need to organize your screenwriting time and use every moment effectively. This eBook has a proven day-by-day and hour-by-hour plan that makes the most of every moment you do have. It has tremendous flexibility and an easy, creative flow. You will be inspired and not inhibited by a clear process designed to enhance your creativity and develop your own unique voice. Use this eBook to make every minute writing count.

2. Screenwriting Confidence: These techniques start with your life experience and your own emotional journey so you will write with complete confidence and authority about what you already know best— your own personal experience! You will learn how to turn your own thoughts, feelings and emotions into powerful fictional stories. Your screenplay will have the ring of truth because it comes from an authentic place deep inside of you! NO ONE can write your story except YOU!

3. Thoughtful Guidance: I will be with you every single day in writing prompts, every week in audio lessons and written writing assignment. Hour-by-hour, day-by-day, I will be right along side of you every step of the way, providing gentle questions to prompt you, ideas to inspire you and crucial screenwriting tips, trick and information to lead you in exactly the right direction. You’ll never flounder or stall wondering,“What should I do next?” Everything in the process is carefully and clearly explained. I have been teaching and consulting all over the world for years. I have busted the toughest blocks and have broken through the thorniest plot and character problems in both television and film. You are in very experienced hands. I know exactly how to encourage and inspire you and move you past all your writing limitations.

I know how to keep a writer writing! I have motivated hundreds of writers just like you to take the crucial steps necessary to complete their screenplay successfully.

“The absolutely essential reason for any writer to use Laurie’s techniques is because they work. You can actually capture your creative lightning in a bottle, set it on a shelf, and uncork whenever you need it— first draft to the umpteenth revision. I kid you not!”

James V. Hart, writer of Hook, Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula, Contact, Tuck Everlasting, Sahara and August Rush

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What You Will Learn

1. How to write your screenplay in an easy, creative flow and in just one hour a day!

2. How to use your own life experience and personal emotional journey to create powerful fictional plots and characters.

3. How to blast through writer’s block and other creative stalls that hamper and inhibit your screenwriting.

4. How to create a rich, complex and vivid protagonist.

5. How to solve the most difficult story plotting problems through character actions.

6. How to make your screenplay entertaining, surprising and most important of all, MEMORABLE.

7. How to reveal your character’s back-story in a way that is interesting, fresh and dynamic.

8. How to keep your plotting streamlined, simple and emotionally moving.

9. How to incorporate unique plot twists and turns.

10. How to use all your own fears and inhibitions to create memorable movie moments.

11. How to create and maintain conflict throughout your screenplay.

12. How to make a character’s interior thoughts, feelings and emotions active, visible and observable.

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First I will help you will zero-in on the protagonist. My unique and surprising definition of this character contains an essential key that solves a myriad of plotting problems. This important insight alone may help turn your screenplay around and make it work more effectively.

You will also learn a powerful two-minute exercise. In just 120 seconds you will discover what makes a film truly memorable. It’s something that you know already and which is an important trigger in all the films that you love best. You aren’t consciously aware of it. But it is right there in plain sight and your own experience proves it. Discovering this secret is a totally an eye-opening experience. It’s something you can use RIGHT NOW in your own screenplay.

“Laurie’s materials are remarkable because they are are a unique combination of analysis, tools of the trade, inspiration and encouragement. The biggest obstacle to writers is self belief. That is why I find Laurie’s work so inspiring. It acknowledges the painful personal, self-doubting process involved in writing screenplays. Not only that, her work gives writers critical professional tools. It’s a formidable and empowering combination.”

Claire Dobbin, Head of the Australian Film Festival and International Development Executive

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Spending so much time in airplanes recently, I had a chance to catch up on several of the movies I missed in theatrical release. I was particularly enchanted by Disney’s The Princess and the Frog. This delightful animated film is the best romantic comedy of the last couple of years. It hits three of the most important emotional beats that make Romantic Comedies so emotionally satisfying. In addition, t’s funny, has a lush gorgeous design and a wonderful New Orleans score.  The film was nominated for 3 Oscars. It won 6 other awards (including a number of critic’s awards and image awards) having 24 major nominations in all.

Fundamental RomCom Elements

There are a number of fundamental elements that make successful romantic comedies emotionally appealing. (These elements are just as important in a romantic subplot or any other emotional partnership or buddy relationship.)  Despite some terrific performances, the other films released in the genre fell short in these key areas. Here is how The Princess and The Frog hit the most important three and scored a big hit:

Conflict

1. There must be a real “battle” for a “battle of the sexes.”

In classic romantic comedies, the love interests take an instant dislike, have a deep distrust or are separated by major philosophical or personal differences. Love interests should have opposite World Views and views on what life and love is or should be. They should not agree on anything. Their values and views should be diametrically opposed.

A character’s World View is how the character believes the world works, his or her perceived role in the world, the character’s philosophy of life and love and a definition of what constitutes a personal goal worth pursuing.

The heroine in The Princess and The Frog, Tiana (voiced and sung by Tony-winner Anika Noni Rose), is a Power of Conscience character.  She is the daughter of a seamstress, Eudora, (voiced by Oprah Winfrey) and James, a day laborer (voiced by Terrence Howard).  Tiana believes in hard work, personal responsibility and setting the bar high for herself.   She is a dutiful daughter and is single-mindedly persistent in the pursuit of the dream she and her father shared.

Tatiana’s Frog Prince Naveen of Maldonia (voiced by Nip/Tuck’s Bruno Campos) was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and has never worked a day in his life.  He is a playboy Power of Excitement character who loves parties, music and dancing.   He is handsome and witty and never met a responsibility he couldn’t charm his way out of, avoid or dodge.  He is angling for a prize that will help him maintain his carefree lifestyle.

CLICK HERE to read how recent RomComs The Proposal, It’s Complicated and The Ugly Truth fell short in this regard.

Goals

2.  The lovers must have a goal other than just falling in love or finding love.

Each of the character must be in pursuit of something other than love.  They both must have an over-arching ego-driven goal (one that benefits each personally).  Unless the character wants something specific for themselves there is nothing to give up or sacrifice for the love of the other person.

Tiana’s goal is to open her own restaurant, the dream she and her father shared.  She works double-shifts.  She forgoes parties and dates.  She saves every dime to make her dream come true.  Tatiana never allows herself any fun or frivolity. She doesn’t have time for romance or falling love.

Prince Naveen’s parents have cut off his funds and he needs to find someone else to finance his amusements.  He is looking for a a wealthy American wife to bankroll his fun-loving spendthrift ways in exchange for a royal Princess title.  Naveen’s goal is to avoid responsibility and look good while doing it. He has never allowed himself to care for anything (or anyone) enough to really work or sacrifice for it.

Gifts

3. Both love interests must grow or change through their relationship with one another.

Something profound should be missing in each love interest’s life, character and or personality. This missing piece is an important personal deficiency leading to overall unhappiness. The problem isn’t just that the character is missing someone to love. It should be key to his or her difficulties in life.

In contrast to this major deficiency, each character has an abundance of some other over-developed trait. This should be something the other love interest has “to a fault.” One person has too much of one thing and gives a gift of a bit of that quality to the other.

In The Princess and the Frog, Naveen falls under the black-magic spell of the evil Dr. Facilier (Keith David). The kiss Naveen cons Tiana into giving him turns her into a frog as well.  (After a catering accident Tiana puts on a spare princess gown and left-over tiara from her childhood friend Charlotte (voiced by Jennifer Cody) and  Naveen mistakes Tiana for the princess he seeks.)

The quarreling amphibians flee into the bayou to escape Facilier’s nefarious scheme and evil clutches. Among the swamp denizens they meet in the murky swamp-land are a cowardly lion-like, trumpet-playing alligator, Louis (voice by Michael-Leon Wooley); a gap-toothed hopelessly romantic Cajun firefly, Ray (voiced by Jim Cummings); and the old-as-the-bayou-herself blind seer and witch doctor Mama Odie (Jenifer Lewis).  It is the seemingly vague lessons that Madame Odie teaches that have the power to restore Tiana and Naveen back to humanity.

Along the way,  Tiana learns to relax and to value what is really important– a balance of love and work. She is ready to give up her goal to save the man/frog she loves.  Naveen learns to work like a sous chef, slicing and dicing, and offers to sacrifice himself and his own happiness to rescue Tiana’s dream.  A clever twist at the end involving a missed kiss and true self-acceptance, completes the exchange of gifts that sets the story and the lovers right.

CLICK HERE to read how The Proposal, It’s Complicated and The Ugly Truth fell short in the gift-giving department.   In contrast, this simple story of The Princess and The Frog hits three of the most crucial elements that make frothy RomComs such a satisfying emotional experience.

The just completed Thrillerfest — think  Comic-Con for thriller authors and their fans —   featured a lecture that caught my eye. Sleepers author Lorenzo Carcaterra chose the 10 best thriller films made from books, the 10 worst, and the 10 he most wants to see get made.

Carcaterra’s Sleepers was turned into a hit film by Barry Levinson, and most of his subsequent thrillers are under option by studios and big producers.  His latest, Midnight Angels — an art history thriller set in Florence — was just published by Ballantine and is just being shopped now. Carcaterra cautioned that his  lists (culled with the help of other authors and editors) were subjective, guaranteed to stir rancor, and maybe a frivolous exercise. So I say, what’s wrong with a little subjectivity, rancor, and frivolity on a summer Sunday morning?

The 10 Best:  The Bourne Trilogy, Silence of the Lambs, Day of the Jackal, 3 Days of the Condor, The Manchurian Candidate, The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Getaway (Steve McQueen version), The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The French Connection, Patriot Games and Marathon Man (the last two tie for 10th).

The 10 Worst: The Getaway (Alec Baldwin version),  The Eiger Sanction, The Osterman Weekend, The Manchurian Candidate (Denzel Washington version), The Sum of All Fears, The Da Vinci Code, Hannibal Rising, The Chamber, Hostage, Heat (the William Goldman novel adapted into a Burt Reynolds pic). Carcaterra hated the Richard Chamberlain TV adaptation of The Bourne Identity so much, he gave it dishonorable mention.

The 10 That Should Be Made: The Vince Flynn-written series about government operative Mitch Rapp (CBS Films is trying to make Consent to Kill, hoping Gerard Butler or Matthew Fox will star for Antoine Fuqua); Brad Thor ’s Scot Horvath series;  Lee Child’s series on hulking drifter Jack Reacher (last I recall, Cruise/Wagner had the rights, and while Reacher might be the top selling thriller protagonist without a film series, little has happened to get a film like The Killing Floor made); James Rollins’ Sigma Force series, William Diehl’s The Hunt, Bill Granger’s The November Man, Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Alon series, any of  Matthew Pearl’s novels that include The Dante Club, The Poe Shadow and The Last Dickens;  Christopher Reich’s Numbered Account; and PD James’ Innocent Blood and Jack Higgins’ Luciano’s Luck (tied for 10th).

Carcaterra put numerous authors on the best and the worst lists, including author Robert Ludlum, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan series, the Jim Thompson novel The Getaway (Carcaterra thought McQueen’s Doc McCoy was the personification of cool while Baldwin was too pretty)  Tom Harris’s Hannibal Lecter series and William Goldman. Carcaterra  considers Goldman’s Marathon Man to be one of the best adaptations ever, but he’s friends with Goldman, and the author/screenwriter suggested his own work, Heat, for the bad list). What becomes clear from Carcaterra’s experience is that the best adaptations are the ones where the screenwriter/director has the guts to tear apart the book to serve the film, even if a superstar author (think Clancy in Patriot Games or Anne Rice at the start of Interview with the Vampire) kicks and screams. The other make or break variable is the impact of actors who can use their influence to screw things up, or elevate the film.  On Sleepers, Carcaterra said  when they got Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman, the scenes for their characters escalated and made the movie much better.

“The Bourne Identity film is much better than the book, and when Tony Gilroy was asked to write, he told them he didn’t care for the book,” Carcaterra said. “He finally said the only part that interested him was an assassin who didn’t know who he was, wanted to find out, but didn’t want to kill. Of course, to find out, he has to kill.  It was a troubled shoot, a lot of reshoots, but that core idea and the script started what has become the best thriller book series. I put all three into the same category because they’re all so good.”

Carcaterra said it was smart to change James Grady’s 6 Days of the Condor: “Whether it was a screenwriter economizing or a producer short of cash, it was a better title and the tightened time line helped the movie.” He said the David Fincher adaptation of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo likely won’t come close to the darkness of the Swedish film that he feels will be tough to improve. Carcaterra worked on TV shows with Sonny Grosso, one of the two cops in The French Connection. Grosso  told him that William Friedkin didn’t even read the book when he first met the cops, but studied them closely. “He was interested in these two cowboys on the streets, and the details of the case got sketched over,” Carcaterra said. “The chase scene was invented, the subway shooting scene didn’t happened. And when Sonny told Friedkin that shooting that Frenchman in the back wouldn’t happen because cops don’t shoot fleeing suspects in the back, Friedkin said, this guy killed five people, and the crowd will go nuts. He was absolutely right.”

Carcaterra said The Da Vinci Code suffered from reverence to Dan Brown’s huge bestseller and the fear of turning off the book’s huge fan base. Angels & Demons was a much better film, Carcaterra said, because the screenwriting and plotting were bolder.

Authors who get script approval can often hamper a screen adaptation, unless it is someone like Elmore Leonard, who wrote so many scripts himself that he knows what works on the screen and isn’t precious about his prose.  “Authors like Elmore realize it’s unseemly to complain, when you consider how much we get paid. When Sydney Pollack mentioned to John Grisham he hoped they hadn’t messed up The Firm, Grisham  said ‘if you did, you’ll never hear it from me.’ Anne Rice took out full page ads about the casting of Interview with the Vampire, until maybe somebody explained her backend definition, and suddenly she was ecstatic,” Carcaterra said. “Adapting books into movies is a hard job that becomes impossible with an author standing over your shoulder who doesn’t understand the process. Authors get paid very well, and so you have to take the money and shut up.”

Anyone who has heard me speak or who has read the articles on this site know I am always talking about characters taking a Leap of Faith in a story.  I have been a bit hesitant about making my own.

The cliff I am contemplating right now is moving to Europe to live and work for a year, possibly longer.  Serendipity has put several people in my path who have done just that–  They moved to a foreign country without a lot of pre-arranged work and they just made it happen.  They built their wings after taking a big leap of faith.  Each person said “just do it.”  And that is what I am going to do.  I will follow their inspiration.

Contrary to most of the stuff I post on this site– about writing and character or story analysis– I am going to start posting about this big leap off the cliff and the grand experiment of building my wings.  This is a formal declaration rather than the tentative “feelers”  I’ve been cautiously putting out.  It’s an exciting and scary time for me.  I will keep you posted!

Yesterday I posted Byron Katie’s four questions.  These questions get at the fear and fearful thinking that causes personal suffering.  As many of you know the best definition of fear I have ever heard is:  ”Fear is the anticipation of grief.”  Anticipating something often makes it true– That’s where the saying “a self-fulfilling prophecy” comes from. Here is how to use the questions in fictional character development:

1.  Is it true? Every character has a specific view of the world, of themselves and of their role in the role.  This is based on the person’s Character Type.  These beliefs and or philosophies limit the character in some profound way.  For example, a Power of Truth character believes that the world is fundamentally uncertain.  These characters believe life is filled with hidden pitfalls, secret agendas and you can’t really trust in or believe anything.

When operating out of fear these character doubt everyone and everything.  They don’t even trust themselves– second-guessing every decision, doubting themselves and others.  Mickey Sachs (Woody Allen)  in Hannah and Her Sisters at his most anxious neurotic state is a great comic example of the Power of Truth Character Type.  Mickey says:

“…I really hit bottom.  You know, I just felt that in a Godless universe, I didn’t want to go on living.  Now I happen to own this rifle which I loaded, believe it or not, and pressed to my forehead.”

“And I remember thinking… I’m gonna kill myself.  Then I thought… What if I’m wrong? What if there is a God?  I mean after all, nobody really knows. But then I thought, no.  You know,  maybe is not good enough.  I want  certainty or nothing.”

“…I really hit bottom.  You know, I just felt that in a Godless universe, I didn’t want to go on living.  Now I happen to own this rifle which I loaded, believe it or not, and pressed to my forehead.”

“And I remember thinking… I’m gonna kill myself.  Then I thought… What if I’m wrong? What if there is a God?  I mean after all, nobody really knows. But then I thought, no.  You know,  maybe is not good enough.  I want  certainty or nothing.”

Mickey nearly shoots himself but the gun slides off his forehead and he escapes in the resulting mayhem.  He  run into the street, walks for hours and then retreats into a movie theater where a Marx Brother’s movie is playing.

“…I went upstairs to the balcony, and I sat down and, you know, the movie was a film that I’d seen many times in my life since I was a kid, and I always loved it.  And, you know, I’m watching these people up on the screen, and I started getting hooked on the film, you know?”

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“…And I started to think how can you even think of killing yourself? I mean, isn’t it so stupid?  Look at all the people up there on the screen.  You know, they’re real funny, and, and what if the worst is true?”

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“…What if there’s no God, and you only go around once and that’s it?  Well, you know, don’t you want to be part of the experience?  You know, what the hell, it’s not all a drag.”

I’m thinking to myself, geez, I should stop ruining my life… searching for answers I’m never gonna get, and just enjoy it while it lasts.  And… I mean, you know, maybe there is something. Nobody really knows.  I know, I know maybe is a very slim reed to hang your whole life on, but that’s the best we have. And… then, I started to sit back, and I actually began to enjoy myself.”

I arrived in Madrid at about 8am and my room wasn’t quite ready so I walked over to the Plaza Major and had a lovely Spanish Omelette and a coffee.  Someone gave me a subscription to OPRAH MAGAZINE, which I rarely have time to read at home, but which I often take with me on the road.  A particular article about Byron Katie struck me– It centered around four questions.  And you know I love questions!  These questions get at the fear and fearful thinking that causes personal suffering.  As many of you know the best definition of fear I have ever heard is:  ”Fear is the anticipation of grief.”  Anticipating something often makes it true– That’s where the saying “a self-fulfilling prophecy” comes from. Here are the questions:

Question 1: Is it true?

This question can change your life. Be still and ask yourself if the thought you wrote down is true.

Question 2: Can you absolutely know it’s true?

This is another opportunity to open your mind and to go deeper into the unknown, to find the answers that live beneath what we think we know.

Question 3: How do you react—what happens—when you believe that thought?

With this question, you begin to notice internal cause and effect. You can see that when you believe the thought, there is a disturbance that can range from mild discomfort to fear or panic. What do you feel? How do you treat the person (or the situation) you’ve written about, how do you treat yourself, when you believe that thought? Make a list, and be specific.

Question 4: Who would you be without the thought?

Imagine yourself in the presence of that person (or in that situation), without believing the thought. How would your life be different if you didn’t have the ability to even think the stressful thought? How would you feel? Which do you prefer—life with or without the thought? Which feels kinder, more peaceful?

Turn the thought around:

The “turnaround” gives you an opportunity to experience the opposite of what you believe. Once you have found one or more turnarounds to your original statement, you are invited to find at least three specific, genuine examples of how each turnaround is true in your life.

Here is a link to the story of one woman whose life was transformed by really looking at these questions. http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Testing-the-Work-of-Byron-Katie

Byron Katie’s informational website is here http://www.thework.com/thework.php There is lots of free material and downloads available that expand on these questions and demonstrate their application.

To learn how to use these questions to help develop fictional characters, click here.

The film Volver begins with a wonderful scene in which all the women of a small rural village scrub the tombstones of their dead. An unrelenting wind blows and threatens to overwhelm their efforts. But the women persist. What a stunning visual metaphor for the performance of the mundane tasks of life in the face of overwhelming grief.

We are told that these winds also fan fires that burn out of control in the village. Raimunda and Sole’s mother and father were consumed in such a fire. This is another powerful metaphor for rage and grief, the core of which is revealed in a stunning confession toward the end of the film.

After Raimunda (Penélope Cruz) and Sole (Lola Dueñas) clean their parent’s tomb along with Rainmunda’s teenage daughter, Paula (Yohana Cobo). The women then visit Aunt Paula (Chus Lampreave) and we learn Raimunda was estranged from her mother and Aunt Paula raised her.

Aunt Paula is nearly blind, mentally confused and forgetful. It’s a miracle she can still manage on her own. The old woman insists that she doesn’t. The girls’ dead mother, Irene (Carmen Maura) helps her out. When Aunt Paula dies, circumstances dictate that Sole attends the funeral alone. She returns with the ghost of their mother, Irene, in the trunk of her car.

Volver is a powerful story about how loss and grief are, at last, resolved. This is a very specific process that is present in every layer of laughter, horror, sadness and love in the film. It opens the path to forgiveness for Rainmunda and her mother.

We learn that Rainmunda’s father was a philanderer and a sexual predator. He sexually abused Rainmunda when she was a teenager. Rainmunda got pregnant and had her daughter, Paula, as a result. Rainmunda has kept this a secret all these years.

Rainmunda could never forgive her mother for not knowing what was happening and not protecting her. She turned her back on her mother and refused to have anything to do with her. In order to resolve her anger, grief and loss Rainmunda must revisit the past to:

1. See the situation as a whole

2. See her relative place in the situation

3. Speak the unspoken emotional communication

4. Cherish the positive

5. Let go of the rest

This process is key to resolving any loss and is outlined in great detail in The Grief Recovery Handbook by John W. James and Russell Friedman. It is an approach that is vital to any story about finding the courage to forgive.

Let’s look at how these steps are applied in Volver:

1. See the situation as a whole. As the film opens, Rainmunda is an overburdened and overworked mother, just as perhaps her own mother was. In a repetition of the past, her own husband drunkenly attacks Rainmunda’s daughter sexually. Rainmunda has no idea this sexual attack is coming; she could not prevent it and she could not stop it.

In a stunning confession later in the film, Irene admits that she discovered Rainmunda’s abuse by Raimunda’s father/Irene’s husband. Irene killed her husband and set the building on fire. Her husband was with another woman and everyone assumed that the woman’s body was Irene’s. Irene was forced to become a “ghost,” hiding in Aunt Paula’s large rambling home and caring for the woman who took care of her daughter.

Raimunda now sees the whole situation. Her mother loved her and was as fierce on her behalf as Rainmunda was on her daughter’s behalf.

2. See your relative place in the situation. Rainmunda couldn’t possibly understand her mother until faced with the horror of such a situation herself. Irene could not forgive herself until she saw how powerless her daughter was to prevent the same situation. Rainmunda and Irene now see one another in each other’s eyes. Each woman sees her relative place in the situation by seeing the relative place of the other.

3. Speak the unspoken emotional communication. The unspoken communication is, of course: “I love you. I have always loved you.” As mother and daughter begin to understand each other, they rediscover the deep bonds of love and sacrifice that connect them. The power of love and the powerlessness of love bind them together. Their hearts open and they forgive each other.

4. Cherish the positive. Rainmunda has a wonderful moment of cherishing the positive in a very funny scene about her mother’s farts. This is a stellar example of Almodovar’s quirky unsentimental portrait of these women. It is the kind of little memory that makes us love and cherish each other in all our weakness and human frailty.

5. Let go of the rest. When Augustina, their Aunt Paula’s long-time neighbor, becomes ill with cancer the women return again to the village. Irene slips into Augustina’s house and is greeted as a welcome ghost by Augustina, who is near death herself. Another grief in the story is about to be resolved.

The body that was found in the burned building was Augustina’s mother. Irene will be able to reassure Augustina that her mother didn’t disappear on a whim to leave her alone and unloved. Irene takes charge of Augustina’s care and slips back into her purgatory world as a ghost. Her daughters let Irene go to do her penance with a quiet and simple grace.

The movie’s title song, a tango made famous by Carlos Gardel is sung by Rainmunda (Cruz), Estrella Morente provides the dubbed vocals.

I am afraid of the encounter
with the past that returns
to confront my life.
I am afraid of the nights
that, filled with memories,
shackle my dreams.
But the traveler that flees
sooner or later stops his walking.
And although forgetfulness, which destroys all,
has killed my old dream,
I keep concealed a humble hope
that is my heart’s whole fortune.

www.planet-tango.com/lyrics/volver.htm
Lyrics translated by Walter Kane

Volver is a profoundly hopeful film, despite being filled with rape, murder, incest and death. The hope that is the heart’s whole fortune is the generosity that allows human beings to forgive. Forgiveness is our amazing power to reject the poison of the past, redeem our lives and reconstruct our bond with those whom we love. (For it is those we love who have the power to hurt us the most deeply.)

This same process is also at work in Casablanca, another powerful film about resolving anger, grief and loss. When Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman) walks back into Rick Blaine’s life (Humphrey Bogart), Rick goes through the same five step process to resolve his anger, grief and loss.

1. Rick must see the situation as a whole. Rick learns Ilsa had to send him away to save him from the Nazis. She had to keep her marriage to Victor Laszlo secret to protect him and others in the resistance. She had to go to Victor (Paul Henreid), who was deathly ill outside of Paris.

2. Rick must see his relative place in the situation. Victor was the hope of the whole resistance movement. The resistance would die if Ilsa didn’t go to Victor and save him. Ilsa made the only choice she could possibly make under the circumstances.

3. Rick and Ilsa speak the crucial unsaid emotional communication. They love each other, they have always loved each other and their hearts will always belong to each other. Ilsa says: “I said I would never leave you.” Rick replies: “And you never will.”

4. Rick and Ilsa are able to cherish the positive: Rick says: “We’ll always have Paris. We didn’t have it, we’d lost it until you came to Casablanca. We got it back last night.” By truly cherishing that time together they have rekindled and reclaimed their love for each other.

5. Rick is able to let go of the rest: Rick says: “The problems of three little people don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world.” He sends Ilsa away just as she sent him away. Rick says: “If you don’t go with him, you’ll regret it. Maybe not today, but soon, and for the rest of your life.” “Where I’m going you can’t follow. What I’m going to do you can’t be any part of.”

Like Volver, Casablanca puts Rick in Ilsa’s situation. He now fully understands her choice. He validates Ilsa’s choice by making the same choice she did. Rick sends Ilsa away with Victor because Victor’s work in the resistance cannot continue without her.

Although they are not physically together Rick and Ilsa will live forever in each others’ hearts. Their grief and loss are resolved and they are both free to go on with their work and their lives.

Here’s how to implement these steps in your film:

1. See the situation as a whole. Have your character learn, discover or expose something that fills in a crucial missing piece in the story. Your character has made some assumption that was false, incomplete, misguided or ignorant. His or her bitterness and/or anger is built on an assumption that isn’t the whole truth. He or she doesn’t fully understand what was in the other person’s heart or what the full circumstances were. A revelation, discovery or realization fills in the gap.

2. See your relative place in the situation. Your character’s bitterness, anger, loss or grief stems from a single-minded and narrow personal perspective. His or her feelings or situation were just a part of what was going on at the time. Instead of seeing things just from a personal perspective, force your character to see the broader canvas. Put your character in the other person’s situation or position. Make that person’s choice more understandable by forcing your character to make a similar kind of choice. Force your character to “walk awhile in the other person’s shoes.”

3. Speak the unsaid emotional communication. This is some form of: “I love you. I have always loved you.” Those we love have the power to hurt us most deeply. Remembering and reclaiming that love is crucial to forgiveness. Please note: This communication is not “You have hurt me deeply.” It is a positive affirmation of the other person and how deeply the character feels about him or her.

4. Cherish the positive. There is a reason nearly everyone in the world knows the line: “We’ll always have Paris.” It’s because Rick’s line speaks to the power of positive memories. No one can take those transcendent moments from us. They remind us of all that was good, true, funny and/or wonderful about a person or time we loved. Force your character to embrace and cherish what was positive about the person or situation.

5. Let go of the rest. Forgiveness is not an emotion. It is an action. Forgiveness is letting go of the hurt, bitterness and/or disappointment of the past. Forgiveness demands that we let go of that which we cannot change. It requires us to be generous with ourselves and let go of the destructive bonds that bind and imprison us. Force your character to let go of bitterness and anger. Give your character an action that offers the gift of generosity.

I often ask my students to think of someone they love who has hurt them deeply. I ask them to think about how hard it would be to take each of those five steps themselves. Then I ask them to make that process equally as hard for their characters. When you force your character to confront and resolve loss you give an amazing gift of generosity to your audience. Volver gives that gift now. Casablanca has given that gift for decades. It is your turn next.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a movie based on Jordan Mechner’s videogame series.  The movie was directed by Mike Newell and written by Boaz Yakin, Doug Miro and Carlo Bernard.  In the film, Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal) becomes the titled prince when he is picked off the street and adopted by King Sharaman (Ronald Pickup). Dastan’s fiery defense of another boy and his athletic ability get him the royal nod.  He is raised as an equal to the king’s biological sons Garsiv (Toby Kebbell) and Tus (Richard Coyle).

The real action begins as Dastan and his brothers are tricked into conquering the Holy City of Alamut.  Their evil Uncle Nizam (Ben Kingsley) convinces the brothers the city hides deadly and prolific weapon forges.  In reality, Nizam is after a magic dagger that can turn back time and give him unlimited power.  The lovely Princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton) is the dagger’s guardian.  She has a sharp tongue and a sassy spirit. After a grand adventure together chasing and/or protecting the dagger, Dastan’s and Tamina’s bickering results, as expected, in the two falling in love.

Although the film has a cast of thousands, a vast sweeping visual canvas of deserts and palaces, and the actors gamely give their swashbuckling all, the movie has several object lessons on pitfalls to avoid in an action adventure (or any other) movie:

1.  The stakes should remain high. The fact that the magic dagger can undo any death or restore any sacrifice undercuts the urgency of the story and the ultimate vulnerability of the characters.  This magical “do-over” is like rebooting a videogame to have endless lives.  This option may be useful to extend the playability of a game but it is a major problem in a movie where the audience must believe a “life or death” struggle is actually that critical.

2.  Chase scenes should build. The free-running athletic discipline of Pakour is amazing the first time we see Prince Dastan dash along the roof-tops, bound across rafters and vault through windows.  The next several times we see a variation on the same moves, these sequences blend into an endless loop of more of the same. Those chasing Dastan, we are told, become progressively more dangerous– ending with pursuit by the magical death-dealing Hassassin clan.  The prince’s own abilities don’t progress or change much from his impressive show as a street urchin. Dastan just uses the adult version of basically the same moves over and over.

3.  The hero should build on his character. Dastan makes no personal or emotional progress over the course of the film.  From the start, he is a good and true soul.  He is accepted by his brothers and loved by his adoptive father.  He is a bit wild and rough around the edges, but he can be counted on as a warrior, as a brother and as a man.  True, he doesn’t speak up against the invasion of the Holy City soon enough, but his silence is motivated more by youthful uncertainty and respect for his Uncle than any personal character flaw.  It’s just not very interesting to see a really good man become a slightly better man.  His quest doesn’t require him to overcome any formidable personal flaws or transcend any deeper fears.

4. A love story subplot should result in an exchange of gifts. Princess Tamina has no crucial qualities that Dastan lacks.  Dastan has no key personal qualities that Tamina needs.  There is no emotional reason that makes their partnership crucial to the success of their mission (or the eventual success of their lives).  At heart, she is as good and true as he is.  Two imperfect halves do not combine to make a more perfect whole.  The two lovers don’t desperately need each other except as a plot device.  Neither lover has the personal flaws that make a character human– a bit of youthful arrogance, some misunderstandings and sassy banter aren’t enough to craft a compelling love story.

5.  A good villain destroys a character from within. Uncle Nizam is a caricature of seething resentment. His physical appearance– slick slightly oily bald head and dark eyeliner rimmed eyes– telegraphs that he is up to no good.  It’s no surprise he is the one behind King Sharaman’s death.  The only surprise is that Dastan is the only person to notice or question Nizam’s burned hands (caused by handling the toxic robes that burst into flames and kills the king).  Nizam is a poor foe because he only relies on external forces to defeat Dastan.  He never activates Dastan’s own fear or uncertainty to destroy him from within.  It is far easier to fight any external obstacle than it is to deal with crippling force of inner personal dread, deficiency or self-doubt.  Dastan seems to fear little and is quite sure and very satisfied with himself.

6.  Use character development minutes wisely. The roller-coaster thrill ride of an action adventure movie leaves very little time for character development.  No harm in that.  These films are not meant to be complex character studies.  But each precious minute of character development time should push the main characters forward emotionally in some way. When a film’s character development is squandered on repetitive or uninspired moments those minutes are wasted and movie suffers.  We need to care about the characters and feel that they are truly at risk and personally vulnerable.  That is simply not the case on any level in Prince of Persia

It’s not surprising the film earned a paltry 25 point Rotten Rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Prince of Persia is a harmless romp but ultimately empty of the crucial character moments that lift the best action/adventure films into the category of a classic. . This movie never strays from its rock em sock em videogame roots and never makes a successful transition to a compelling film.

Evidence abounds that Fox’s singing contest may be crooning its way to irrelevance. Although it’s still at the top of TV’s programming heap, “Idol” has slipped a worrying 9% in the ratings this year, according to the Nielsen Co, and the show has lost more than one-fifth of its audience since its peak in 2006…

…Meanwhile, even fans of Ellen DeGeneres’ work elsewhere were generally underwhelmed with her role as the fourth judge on “Idol.” ”She played it very safe,” Sternberg said. “She said not a lot, a few jokes here and there. She was extraordinarily neutral. … I’m not sure whether Fox reaped the benefits of casting her.”  DeGeneres also appeared to enjoy little chemistry with Cowell — the two were dogged by reports of mutual dislike and were rarely seen interacting at the judges’ table.

I’ve never met a lawyer who didn’t have dozens of great stories. A legal practice deals with human nature at its best and worst and involves situations of tremendous conflict. Human conflict is the bedrock of all great films, television shows and novels. Personal and professional experience has enabled a whole host of lawyers to establish rewarding writing careers in the entertainment business. You have the stories. You have writing skills. You just need to take what you already know and apply it to a new form.
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Launch Your Writing Career

A legal background is a great platform to launch a writing career. I worked as a lawyer before I transitioned to television and film (See my Bio). Ron Bass, practiced entertainment law before penning box office hits My Best Friend’s Wedding and Rain Man among many many others. Novelists Scott Turow, John Grisham, Richard North Patterson put their legal training to use writing best-selling crime or mystery novels. David E. Kelley transitioned from a Boston law practice to writing hit television shows like Ally McBeal, Picket Fences, and The Practice. Lawyer turned science fiction writer Melinda Snodgrass wrote several Star Trek: The Next Generation scripts during her successful career. They are just a few of the many many lawyers working in Hollywood or claiming a place on the best-seller list.

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Could You Be The Next Break-out Writer?

Whether you are writing a novel or a screenplay your work must be compelling and “cinematic.” A great script or a best-selling novel unfolds like a movie in the reader’s mind. You will find the tools right here to make your story flow like a film in the reader’s imagination! I can help you “Get to the Heart of the Story®.” But don’t take my word for it.

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Here’s What My Colleagues Have To Say:

“Laurie Hutzler has a method of exploring and developing characters that I personally found very useful. Her gentle process of posing insightful questions should help any writer create deeper, richer and more vivid characters.”

Paul Haggis, Oscar® Winning Writer/Director of Crash, Writer of Oscar® Winning Million Dollar Baby, Writer/Director of In the Valley of Elah, Writer of Quantum of Solace, Writer of Flags of Our Fathers, Creator of EZ Streets (CBS) and Co-Creator of The Black Donnellys (NBC)

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“Laurie has taught me more than anyone about the central importance of character in any screenplay. Her method of character analysis provides an invaluable tool for the writer who needs a non-destructive way to self-critique his or her screenplay. At the heart of every Oscar® Winning Best Film, is a screenplay that is the Best. Laurie’s methods help writers create their Best.”

Peter Fudakowski, Producer of Tsosti, Oscar® Winning Best Foreign Language Film

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“Laurie Hutzler knows all the right questions to ask that get you to know your characters inside and out. Her material works, period.”
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“Laurie’s keen grasp of storytelling and her focus on emotional truth have inspired our teams of writers, producers and directors around the world. Whether in Germany, Britain, Hungary, Australia – the list goes on – Laurie’s practical, entertaining methods work in harmony with local cultural specifics. The result has been better stories, more truthful characters and creative teams with a better understanding not only of drama, but of themselves”

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